Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn (above photo, left), Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said, “We are indeed very proud that the influential readers and users of the reputed GoAsia website have voted us as the Best Asian Destination. We are humbled by their confidence. These awards will be a constant source of motivation for us to continue working hard to maintain this confidence in the years to come.”

Go Asia (www.goasia.de) is a B2B tourism platform run by tour operators. The Go Asia Awards 2019 are based on a comprehensive online survey among all registered users (sales representatives, travel agents, and tourists). This year, more than 3,000 people cast their votes for a total of 40 countries/destinations.

The Go Asia initiative was founded in 2003 in order to facilitate tourism marketing in German-speaking regions. Members get access to the Go Asia website, participation in exhibitions and trade fairs, media relations and training initiatives.

Thailand has always figured very highly on the awards list.

– In 2014, Thailand won the “Most Popular Tourist Destination in Asia” award.

– In 2010, Thailand won the “Best Asian Destination” award. The Tourism Authority of Thailand was voted the “Best Asian Tourist Board in Germany” award.

– In 2009, Thailand won the “Most Favoured Asian Destination” award. The Tourism Authority of Thailand was voted the “Best Asian Tourist Board in Germany” award. Prior to this, the Kingdom of Thailand had received the Go Asia Award for “Best Destination in Asia” for four consecutive years from 2005.

Germany is Thailand’s third largest source market from Europe, second only to the UK. In 2018, Thailand recorded 889,777 German visitors, up by 4.66% over 2017, generating an estimated 57.643 billion Baht, up by 8.30% in tourism revenue.

Ms. Denduen Luengcheng, Director of the TAT Frankfurt Office said that in the past few years, TAT has been stepping up its marketing activities in German secondary cities in order to attract more German visitors to destinations like Ko Chang in Trat and Khanom in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, as well as Chumphon and Ranong.

Berlin, 8 March, 2019 – Thailand has been awarded the “Best Destination of the Year” by Connoisseur Circle, a German luxury lifestyle magazine.

The Connoisseur Circle Hospitality Awards 2019 presentation ceremony was held on 6 March, 2019, at the Sheraton Berlin Grand Hotel in conjunction with the ITB Berlin 2019, the world’s leading travel trade show, which is being held in Berlin during 6-10 March, 2019.

The “Best Destination of the Year” was judged on the basis of superior products and excellent services, outstanding efforts and professionalism in catering to the needs of European luxury travellers. The Connoisseur Circle gathered comments from writers of the magazine, tourists, frequent travellers and reviews posted on the “Trust You” platform throughout the year. The final decision was made by a 20-member judging committee.

Mr. Tanes said, “Thailand is a vibrant country with a spectacular range of products for luxury travellers; such as, our quality spas, health centres and elegant shopping malls. Our elegant boutique resorts offer privacy and seclusion, and upscale restaurants now dot the rooftops of many 5-star hotels.

“High net-worth individuals can also enjoy beachfront pool villas and well-equipped yachts and cruises in Phuket and Pattaya to accommodate the need of island hoppers. Numerous renowned hotels have hosted the rich and famous for many decades.”Mr. Tanes said that this year, TAT has set a growth target of 11.53% in tourism revenue from the European market.

Germany is Thailand’s third largest source market from Europe, second only to the UK. In 2018, Thailand recorded 889,777 German visitors, up by 4.66% over 2017, generating an estimated 57.643 billion Baht (1.784 billion USD), up by 8.30% in tourism revenue.

Switzerland and Austria are two of the most important markets in Europe for Thailand.

Sapparo, 7 February 2019 – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) sponsored an ice sculpture team at the 46th International Snow Sculpture in Sapporo that sculpted a ‘Pla Kat‘ figurine that took home top prize in the competition.

Mr. Tanes Petsuwan, TAT Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications, said Thailand sent its first team to the competition in 1991, and this year marks the 22nd entry in the event.

This year, the Thai team created a Pla Kat (also known as ‘Siamese flighting fish’) ice sculpture to reflect the lives of the communities that live by waterways around Thailand.

Their inspiration “Pla Kat (Betta Brilliance – The Beauty and Strength of Thailand)” was recognised as the national aquatic animal by the National Identity Committee in December 2018. This was recommended by the Fisheries Department and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives as Pla Kat has many cultural and historical associations in Thailand and is referenced extensively in Thai novels and literature.

Mr. Kitsana Kaewtumrong, TAT Executive Director of the Advertising and Public Relations Department, added that ‘Teams from Thailand have won top honours seven times, including three consecutive years winning the prestigious ‘Grand Champion’ title in 2008-2010, a record that has never by beaten and stands to this day. Accordingly, this year has marked our eight grand champions in total and two years in a row for maintaining the first place in 2018 and 2019.’

This year, the ice sculptors joining the team includes Mr. Kusol Bunkobsongserm from the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok, Mr. Amnoaysak Srisuk from the Grand Hyatt Erawan, Bangkok, and Mr. Kitsana Wongtes, a freelance ice sculptor.

Mr. Tanes said, “The ‘Pla Kat‘ ice sculpture team promotes Thai art and culture, and hopefully inspires Japanese and other international tourists at the show to visit Thailand. TAT has set a target of 1.75 million visitor arrivals from Japan in 2019 with the hope of reaching two million arrivals by 2020.

“We believe the Pla Kat ice sculpture showcases Thai craftsmanship on an international level, creating a positive image for Thailand.”

The Pla Kat ice sculpture will be on display at the Odori Park until 11 February, 2019.

The awards ceremony was held in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China on 22 January, 2019, by National Tourism, a well-known Chinese travel trade magazine.

Winners of the 2018 National Tourism Fashion Awards were selected by experts in China’s travel and tourism industry comprising executives of travel companies and tour operators as well as members of the media.

The awards ceremony was held in Oslo, Norway on 24 January by Travelnews, an independent Norwegian travel trade magazine. The event was attended by 370 guests from Norway’s travel and tourism industry.

Thai Airways International was also named “The World’s Best International Airline”.

The Best Foreign Tourist Office award is a result of voting by travel companies and tour operators in Norway.